Texted Heart
by 13HoursInWonderland
Summary: (name changed from five seven five) "It appears I have the hots for you," almost slipped from the siren's mouth. Her brain shot down the sentence before it could reach the tip of her tongue however. Maya was less then prepared to admit to such aches out loud. Especially when, in all actuality she hadn't even seen enough of Zer0's physique to justify lusting.
1. Five Seven Five

Maya had tried to force herself into believing her attraction to Zer0 was nothing more then a crush. She was simply swooning like a high school girl and affection would pass, or alter to someone more charming, with time. Unfortunately reasoning refused to let the siren lie to her own body. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, puppy-love alone would never have stirred Maya into running a fleeting touch down length of assassin's arm. Compel her to bump a less then innocent hip against his side as she seated herself next to him. Spawn very primal sensations in rather adult places.

"Awfully close." Zer0's voice nearly jumped Maya when it rang for the fist time since she'd found him in a relatively safe alcove of the caustic caverns. His tone as evenly cool as ever, despite her blatant touches. "Proximity unusual. Something wrong?"

"It appears I have the hots for you," almost slipped from the siren's mouth. Her brain shot sentence down before it could reach the tip of her tongue however. Maya less then prepared to admit to such aches out loud. Especially when, in all actuality she hadn't even seen enough of Zer0's physique to justify lusting.

Furthermore, even if Maya found the rationale to confess her desires, Zer0 was probably the only man on Pandora that would be less then thrilled upon hearing a siren's declaration of want. The assassin had never once gawked at her like most other men, including Axton and Salvador, did. Neither had she ever witnessed the assassin turn his head at the rare sight of a doable woman striding across the damned planet.

A bitter tone bit at Maya's brain as she scowled herself. _'The day I bed Zer0 will be the same day he stops speaking in five seven five phrase-' _

"Zer0?" Her thought never finished itself, as an abrupt realization setting her head ablaze like what flammable rounds did to bandits' skin. "Your last haiku. That wasn't five seven five."

"Five seven five, you must be mistaken, I rarely falter."

"No." Momentarily overlooking her own vexes, Maya went so far to phase out dialogue in her head. "I'm not. 'proximity unusual' is eight syllables, not seven. And that last one too. Six, seven, five. Zer0, you rarely do falter. Which leads me to wonder, is there something wrong?"

As Maya waited for an explanation or a correction (breaking down syllables had never been a strong hobby of hers), Zer0 remained unmoved. His posture and breathing suggested calm consideration, yet the siren tasted nervousness in air between them. At first she almost registered mood as her own. Maya, still uncomfortable, in more ways then one, from sitting so close to him.

"You are… a distraction." A single sentence finally served as an answer.

"A distraction?"

No further elaboration was offered, the question circled between pair like a rakk trying to decide which of two targets to dive toward. When a minute passed in silence Maya wanted to openly swear but opted to keep curses of Zer0, and his helmet, internal. What she would give to burn through that visor and glimpse his expression. To have something to read so she could react appropriately. Instead the siren had to make do with a controlled glare that said "I'm not satisfied" instead of "fucking out with it!"

In the end her intention must have crossed him somehow, because an image soon enough flickered across Zer0's visor. Its spark short-lived, but solid and crimson.

"3"

For a long moment neither of the pair said anything. Silence only broken by slight humm of near by vending machines and the caustic cavern's toxic lake. Then, a single word loosed from Maya's mouth.

"Fuck."

* * *

Still not sure if I got the haiku right. I'm horrible at phasing out syllables. Anyways thankies for reading! Please reveiw!

P.S. I did have a slightly smutty part to this, but a friend that sometimes edits my stories said it didn't feel right with the piece so maybe I'll try to make that into something else?


	2. When All Else Fails, Snipe

Witnessing that texted heart flash across Zer0's visor nearly sent Maya into a fever. For the fist time sense landing on Pandora the siren's senses had raced from something other then adrenalin or fear. Electricity had sparked in her brain then; heat tickling her skin. She would have straddled the assassin right there if not for an annoyingly skeptical thought peaking through instincts. Zer0 was not the type for affection. The odds of that image meaning anything greater then comradely were not in her favor.

So, even as her hands itched to wonder Zer0's body antagonism restrained Maya. Her gaze tore away from assassin in an effort to think of anything other then his lean body and what she could do to it, or it to her. And before her tongue could find courage to hint at physical urges skepticism forced her feet, ready to hunt down a bad-ass thresher if it meant getting Zer0 and that crimson icon out of her head.

Instead Maya ended up atop the abandoned Hyperion truth station in the Arid Nexus, putting holes in anything that moved. After only a couple of hour's, however, she was beginning to run out of game. What rakks and skags the siren hadn't already killed moving on, possibly realizing their was little to be done against a predator with high ground, a shock shield and fire weapon on hand.

In all reality, the badlands were not Maya's favorite spot when it came to snipping. Experience told the siren that Tundra Express, the Wildlife Preserve and even Caustic Caverns housed better quarry. Yet, settling herself atop Pandora's best sniping perches meant risking a run in with the planets best snippers, Zer0 among them. So while moving targets ran scarce Maya instead lined her scope up with a far off Hyperion sign that had far to few bullet holes for her liking.

As she recovered from shot's recoil the siren couldn't help smirking. Her bullet had indented only a few centimeters askew, just above the bright yellow of a Hyperion O. It wasn't perfect, but it was close. Her pleasure soon dissipated, however, as another round thundered through open air. A second bullet piercing straight through Hyperion letter. Exactly centered with interior of loop.

Lowering her weapon with a frown Maya didn't bother looking back. She'd anticipated he'd hunt her down eventually and trying to out run an assassin was a fools errand. The fact that she hadn't seen nor heard Zer0's approach didn't alarm her. Stealth was what he did.

"You sneaking up on allies as well as bandits now?"

"Consider it retaliation. You ran off. Have been making efforts to delay another encounter. Trying to avoid me is not a wise decision."

Maya turned at lengthy reply, a icy eyebrow raised while Zer0 shouldered his riffle. "No haiku?"

"This gets your attention,"

Despite a brief twist to her mouth a weary sigh escaped Maya's mouth. As amusing as normal speech patterns sounded on the assassin's tongue she didn't like his tone. There had been something fierce mixed with Zer0's usual coolness. His voice like stars burning cold.

"What do you want Zer0?"

"I should not have called you a distraction."

"Is that an apology?"

"I am not ignorant." He began to explain with the same searingly cold hue. "You have been looking. Touching. Seducing. I have been patient. But my patience wears thin."

Well if anything confirmed her less then hopeful assumptions those words did. Just as the siren prepared to ride rejection out with a steady gaze and forcibly laxed words, the same emotion Maya had seen in caverns sparked to life.

"3"

Hours later, when Maya looked back at moment with a critical mind, she couldn't quiet comprehend what had happened in moment fallowing holographic image's appearance. Much like when she had seen the same heart below Caustic Caverns restraints started to deteriorate. All concerns involving rejection melted into something warm and more progressive.

With out thinking the siren advanced on the assassin, playing out much of what her imagination had fathomed doing to him. Zer0's responsive touches more then welcoming.

* * *

I had not planned on continuing this but people seemed pretty keen on another chapter so this is for those who did! I had to rewrite it about 10 times though because I was never content with anything I came up with. If I write more for this story rating might bump up to M. Thankies for reading as always and please review! (I should mention where ever a "3" appears it meant to be an emot for a heart. For some reason it never registers)

P.S.

Hoping to pump out a Lilith/Mordecai friendship or romance fic sometime soon(ish). Also an Angel centric one. If that one turns into a romance I've no idea who I'd pair her with though. I'm leaning toward Axton for no reason at all but what do people want to see? I'm pretty much willing to consider anybody at this point.


	3. Blackouts and Brooding

All across Sanctuary, power was failing. Lights refused their matching switches. Computers kept constantly active cooled. Even the flickering neon signs and base heavy music of Moxxi's bar had stilled.  
Fortunately, Scooter got to his echo device before initial curses and confusion teetered toward panic. "Just a minor internal issue," he drawled over city's echo system as citizens began to stumbled over anything low and inconveniently placed, "no need to go screamin' through the streets. Sanctuary's not about to drop out of the sky- at least not tonight. Only a matter of gettin' inside her and findin' the right spot."

Following those colorful words and a proud (but moronic) chuckle, the collective mood calmed. Though nervousness could still be tasted in the air as residents adjusted to their sudden blindness, it soon staled , just like sharp drinks weakened as time wore on.

Maya, however, couldn't find the will to relax. She was wound up, recent happenings kneading at the back of her brain like bullets steadily working down a well built shield. Events of five hours ago continuously replaying in her head.

Upon realization that the rest of their team had made plans for the evening and most would not be expected back till morning, Maya had come closer to getting Zer0 out of his suit then she ever had.

Most times when the siren's hands went for the assassin's belt or clutched at his helmet, his own fingers would be quick to relocate hers. A seductive haiku would follow, insisting it was a better idea that Zer0 remain clothed for now. While Maya frequently frowned and scoffed at the assassin's stubbornness, protest fell mostly mute when friction of cloth against cloth proved to be more enticing than expected. And despite fact nothing ever truly met, the movements were always expertly placed. Grinds hit the right nerves. The job, eventually, was done.

However, when the assassin had initially touched her a few hours back, leading the way up stairway of the Crimson Raiders' headquarters and towards building's most private bunks, things had progressed differently. Maya's hands had gone for his belt out of habit, but this time he hadn't stopped her from unfastening its clasp. The assassin even letting out a groan when her embolden hands had fumbled to loosen his pants button and zipper.

Then, as the pair had stumbled into each other on second story landing, their luck changed. In the corner of her eye Maya had caught sight of occupants in the adjacent war room and raging fires had been stifled at the prospect of an audience. With great frustration the siren managed to draw away from the assassin. Zero himself make a barely audible hiss of disapproval at her distance, but also straightened himself.

"H-hey guys." Maya managed to greet Mordecai and Lilith with a relatively even face and calm breaths. "What are you doing up here? I though everyone had plans for the evening."

After a conversation she'd found slightly awkward, but was certain the other siren had been wildly amused by, Maya noted with frustration both Zer0 and Mordecai had managed to slip away. With a curse she was careful Lilith didn't hear, Maya's hopes for the evening diminished.

"Fuck Zer0, his suit and helmet." The siren growled from her cot in an empty bunk room. She'd come so very close to getting into Zer0's pants, but in the end, she hadn't been able to and that felt like a cruel joke. Not that she was particularly unhappy with their current set up, Maya had just hoped Zer0 would trust her with who- (or what-) ever lay beneath all his armor.

"My apologies." While Maya had came to expect stealth and silence from him long ago, that didn't stop her from jumping when Zer0's voice abruptly hissed close to her ear; the siren nearly jamming her head against bunk above her. "Leaving you alone like that, not my intention."

"Don't do that!" She hissed, trying to place the assassin's silhouette in amongst the darkness. "I know you like to act like a ninja, but shadows make people jumpy. What made you leave anyway?"

"Something was not right, in the way the hunter left, it made me worry."

"You find out anything interesting?"

"I can not be sure, he was uncooperative, I suspect passion."

"Passion? Passion for what?" Zer0 didn't reply, and Maya soon realized she didn't need him to. There had been only one other person in the room before they'd arrived.

"Oh really." A impish grin come to Maya's lips. "I could totally figure out a way to use this kind of information as pay back for all those jabs Lilith made today."

"You can think about that in the morning." Breaking from haiku Maya felt Zer0's hand slip onto her waist, pulling her back and against him. His cool breath tickling her ear.

"Hmm." Mumbling in agreement, the siren's insides sparked. Maybe chances for an intimate evening might not be completely ruined. They did have the room to themselves after all, and the black-out would hide anything if someone happened by, as long as they managed to keep relatively quiet.

And while a part of Maya insisted that she again chew Zer0 out for insisting on clothed sex, another more eager part of her outweighed it. That discussion could wait for a day they didn't have such convenient privacy. Besides, there was always a chance- wait a second. Breath? Against her ear?

Turning in Zer0's grip the siren held back initial assumptions that would only lead to disappointment. Odds were what ever she'd felt had only been wishful thinking, or even the darkness, playing tricks on her. Both had a tendency of fooling the senses into seeing things that weren'treal. Yet as she faced the assassin lips met the corner of her mouth.

* * *

A/N: Um, okay, so going up to M if another chapter happens. No promises, but after I ended this chapter like that I probably need to write another one. Its 1:30 in the morning though and I need to reboot my brain before I think about how I'd pull another chapter off. Thankies for reading as always and please review!


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